Various types of racks for use in shipping vehicles such as motorcycles are known in the art. A typical modern arrangement is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,453 to Fritze, and includes a base supporting a ramped center receiver or guide channel adapted for receiving the wheels of the motorcycle. Once the motorcycle is in the appropriate position on the rack, hold down straps maintain the motorcycle in the upright position (which is usually the desired orientation for shipping). During the unloading sequence, the straps are simply released and the motorcycle is backed through the channel, down the ramp, and onto the ground.
Although the arrangement in the Fritze patent facilitates the loading and unloading the motorcycle from the rack, it suffers from several significant shortcomings. First of all, nothing on the rack guards or protects the associated motorcycle against damage from external sources, including adjacent motorcycles, racks, or other structures that may be encountered during shipping. Any resulting damage is typically the responsibility of the common carrier, and can be a significant source of loss.
Secondly, no manner of easily moving the rack, including with the motorcycle in the mounted condition, is provided. Thus, in the typical scenario, the rack with the motorcycle is loaded into the shipping container, such as a trailer, using a forklift or other lifting means. The motorcycle on the rack (which together can weigh in excess of one thousand pounds) is then pushed about the trailer into the desired location for shipping. As should be appreciated, this is extraordinarily difficult to accomplish in the confines of the trailer, especially when the rack is surrounded by other racks or cargo. At the offload point, this time-consuming procedure must be repeated in reverse and a forklift or similar lifting device is again required. As can be readily appreciated, the deleterious complexity of this operation significantly increases the overall shipping cost, and can further increase the chances of damage to the motorcycles.
A slightly more modern approach is found in German Published Application No. DE 199 34 939 A1. Like the one shown in the Fritze patent, the shipping rack disclosed in this patent application includes a center channel for receiving the motorcycle wheels, as is conventional. An improvement feature is the provision of collapsible posts positioned at each of the four corners of the rack. These posts of course reduce the likelihood of external damage and, thus, provide a modicum of protection for the motorcycle during transit.
Despite the slight improvement afforded by this added feature, limitations still exist. For example, no manner of easily moving this rack is part of the approach disclosed in the '939 application, either. Consequently, the same deleterious loading and unloading sequence must be followed prior to shipping in a larger container, such as a trailer, as well as when off-loading the motorcycle at the final destination. Moreover, despite being collapsible, the upstanding posts are mounted at fixed locations on the rack, and thus are not adaptable for use with different types or widths of motorcycles. Moreover, positioning fixed posts at only the corners leaves significant portions of the sides of the motorcycle susceptible to damage, including from adjacent cargo.
Accordingly, a need is identified for an improved rack for use in the course of shipping vehicles. The rack would be better able to guard against damage to the corresponding vehicle from external sources, including adjacent vehicles or other cargo. Moving the rack and vehicle together over the ground and into a shipping container would also be facilitated. This feature would reduce the time and cost associated with loading a vehicle into a shipping container, as well as unloading at the final destination. Overall, a rack combining both features would be a considerable improvement over those described in the foregoing discussion, without requiring significant additional manufacturing cost. Retrofitting existing racks to enhance mobility and to help better protect vehicles such as motorcycles against damage would also be desirable.